Microsoft Surface Duo: New concept videos show off surprising software

New videos show Microsoft’s dual-screen device in action – and we’re more excited than before.

Microsoft is best known for the Windows software that’s used the world over, but on its upcoming handheld device the company has adopted Google’s Android OS, having reluctantly swallowed its pride over own-brand Windows Phone mobile software some years ago.

A series of concept videos shared on Twitter show the Microsoft Surface Duo using Android across its dual-screen set-up, and after checking them out we can’t wait to see this innovative contraption in action.

Here’s a quick look at some of the (unfinished) navigation gestures that are part of the Surface Duo. This build is pretty buggy, but still interesting to see. pic.twitter.com/Jra1xVfZl2

The reason I’ve assiduously avoided using the term “smartphone” to describe the Surface Duo is that Microsoft itself has stood back from the term, describing it instead as a “dual screen device” even though it’s pocket-sized and can appear to take phone calls. Its closest relatives in the tech family tree would appear to be foldable devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold, although the screen on Microsoft’s upcoming handheld distinctly divides into two parts rather than employing folding glass.

In fact, the nearest thing we’ve seen so far would probably be the LG G8X ThinQ with a dual-screen case, a device almost as unwieldy as it sounds. This is comprised of a standard smartphone with a secondary screen attachment that opens like a book. In our time with the device we found it to be very clunky, like a work in progress, without the optimised intuitive interface that it needs to thrive.

We hope for better things from Microsoft, and if the video embedded above is anything to go by, the software looks much better suited to interacting across two separate touchscreens at once, despite some ‘bugs’. However, we’re going to have to wait until “Holiday 2020” to see it in action so we hope any potential problems have been ironed out by then.

Peter is a mobile tech writer, covering the latest smartphones, tablets, and wearables in news stories, reviews, and features. Previously he worked as a business researcher for Which?, analysing the m…

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